Today's guest Gillian McCrory is a superstar of the local running scene in Northern Ireland. From taking up running with colleagues at work to doing parkruns and joining a running club, St Peter's AC, Gillian's improvement has been astonishing with three 2:52 finishes last year in the marathon including second place at Belfast marathon.

We talk about her motivation, the difference now with the added pressure of expectation on her, how running is great for the mind and how running with other people can push you on.

To find out a bit more about parkrun and St Peter's AC follow the links below:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

https://saintpetersac.com/

You can now get a comprehensive free marathon training plan available with paces for your particular target time along with a strength guide and nutrition guide. This an absolute no brainer. To download go to:

www.therunningrules.com/free-plans

If you need more, you can get information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching

Weight loss and running are somewhat linked but you will hear differing opinions on whether each is good for the other. Many people start running to aid with weight loss so is this a good idea or are there better alternatives?

Similarly, people start to look to weight loss as a way to improve their running performance. Is that a good idea or are there better tools to help with your performance?

I explore how my opinions have changed as I have experienced both weight loss and performance gains at different stages of my life and that as usual, there is definitely some nuance, indivisualism and middle ground to this subject.

You can now get a comprehensive free marathon training plan available with paces for your particular target time along with a strength guide and nutrition guide. This an absolute no brainer. To download go to:

www.therunningrules.com/free-plans

If you need more, you can get information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching

Today's guest Sarah Lacey is a CBT practitioner and award winning nutritionist. We unpack the mindset and tools like sleep and stress management that people need to get started on their journey of running or weight loss as well as building habits that will keep you on track.

We also discuss how to keep going when things get uncomfortable especially in a long and tough race by 'embracing the suck' as well as other techniques.

Find out more about Sarah and her business Nourish and Nurture at:

https://www.nourishandnurtu.re/

https://www.facebook.com/nourishandnurtureni

https://www.instagram.com/nourishandnurtu.re/

You can now get a comprehensive free marathon training plan available with paces for your particular target time along with a strength guide and nutrition guide. This an absolute no brainer. To download go to:

www.therunningrules.com/free-plans

If you need more, you can get information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching

In 2017 I organised, and ran the 24 in 24 challenge. All 24 parkrun routes in Northern Ireland in 24 hours. I was ill prepared and had no idea whether it was possible but with the help of many others and inspired to do something in memory of my Mum, the person who started my running journey, I was able to complete something special that I will never forget and change the trajectory of my entire running career.

By sharing 10 takeaways from that experience, I hope to provide you with the inspiration to lift the ceiling on your running.

You can now get a comprehensive free marathon training plan available with paces for your particular target time along with a strength guide and nutrition guide. This an absolute no brainer. To download go to:

www.therunningrules.com/free-plans

If you need more, you can get information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching

In this solo episode I talk about the pros and cons of having a running coach or using a training plan on your own. I have done both myself and they are both good options but one or the other will suit different people better.

I'm also delighted to announce that I now have a comprehensive free marathon training plan available with paces for your particular target time along with a strength guide and nutrition guide.

I've tried to make this an absolute no brainer. To download go to:

www.therunningrules.com/free-plans

If you need more, you can get information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching

In 2013, my guest Jenny Bushell started running as something to do to get fit. She was never a high sporting achiever in her younger years. She is now a running coach and mountain guide and this year completed the Cumbria Way - 70 miles and over 2000m of elevation in 22.5 hours, a female fastest known time.

Find out how she built up her ability and confidence through road marathons and trail ultras and how she picked and planned an epic ultra adventure. We delve into the nutrition and mindset that helped her smash her goal.

We both believe everyone is capable of a little bit more and we hope to inspire you to find your own challenge to take on!

Find out more about Jenny and her business at:

https://www.jennybushelladventures.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/JennyBushellAdventures/

https://www.instagram.com/jennybushelladventures

Whatever you do in terms of marathon training for autumn, don't miss my free 5 step guide to a faster marathon, visit www.therunningrules.com/faster-marathon

For more information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching

Today's guest Benny McGeown offers a peak behind the curtains at The Running Rules as we discuss his amazing 3:29 performance at Berlin last year at the age of 53! He reveals how he got into running in his forties and kept improving and how one-to-one coaching helped him achieve a 9 minute PB 5 years on from his previous best. We also discuss the 3 major marathons he has completed, London, New York and Berlin as well as fundraising for charity places.

Whatever you do in terms of marathon training for autumn, don't miss my free 5 step guide to a faster marathon, visit www.therunningrules.com/faster-marathon

For more information on my one-to-one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching⁠⁠⁠

Today's guest is the amazing Helen Geering of Take Flight Nutrition. Helen is a long haul pilot, nutrition coach and is taking on her first marathon in October having run her first half marathon in April. In this fascinating conversation, I find out how she is able to fit training and recovery around an unsociable work schedule. We also discuss a massively undervalued tool in performance and general health, sleep, as well as getting on top of nutrition when time is limited and convenience is king.

You can find Helen on IG @take_flight_nutrition or on Facebook @helen.geering

Whatever you do in terms of marathon training for autumn, don't miss my free 5 step guide to a faster marathon, visit www.therunningrules.com/faster-marathon

For more information on my all in one coaching service for running, nutrition and mindset designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching⁠⁠⁠

Today I have an amazing guest, coach Tori Williams, founder of the Meraki Run Club and host of the Raising Runners podcast to talk about youth running and how we can support our kids at all levels. We discuss what is age appropriate for kids and how to adapt games and sessions to meet the needs of all our kids. Tori is so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about youth running and I really enjoyed having her on the show. Her insight was invaluable to me as both a parent and coach and even if you are not working with kids, I think her outlook on running in general is something we should all aspire to.

You can find Tori on the Raising Runners podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/raisingrunners

You can find out more about the Meraki Run Club here: https://www.instagram.com/meraki_run_club_coach/

Whatever you do in terms of marathon training for autumn, don't miss my free 5 step guide to a faster marathon, visit www.therunningrules.com/faster-marathon

For more information on coaching services designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching⁠⁠⁠ or book a free consultation via the website.

In today's episode I talk about the different training terms you might see and explain the difference (or not!) of intervals vs fartleks, tempo vs threshold runs. More importantly, I teach you what to expect to see on plans and how to interpret the sessions so that you are working in the right zones and at the right effort level. As long as you know the structure of a session and its purpose then you should be able to infer the intensity required although not all free plans will explain things properly. I also give you a crude way to estimate your paces for different races. NOTE: the pace calculator is coming soon - if you can't wait, send me a message with a recent race time and the paces you want to be calculated!

Whatever you do in terms of marathon training for autumn, don't miss my free 5 step guide to a faster marathon, visit www.therunningrules.com/faster-marathon

For more information on coaching services designed to get you faster, further and stronger straight away, see ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching⁠⁠⁠ or book a free consultation via the website.